Locally filmed gang video found on YouTube

WILMINGTON — Some videos popping up on YouTube are causing concern with police and local residents.

The rap videos were filmed in Wilmington and involve young children.

In one of the videos you can clearly see kids who look to be between 10 and 14 flashing gang symbols.

The video was filmed in the Houston Moore housing complex in Wilmington. It was posted to YouTube about a week and a half ago. You can see young children are flashing gang symbols, wearing colors associated with gangs and waving what looks to be thousands of dollars.

The New Hanover County gang task force says there are several reasons residents and parents should be concerned.

Jon-Paul Gaurino with the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office said, “The biggest concern for me as a law enforcement officer is kids may look at this and say, hey, that’s what I want to be like, I want to be on TV. Then they may be emulating things they do not understand. Gang hand signs, gang colors, they don’t understand how dangerous it can be.”

Gaurino says the videos are common to the music videos many children see on stations like MTV or BET.

Gang task force members are asking parents to keep an eye on what their kids are watching on TV, visit the websites their kids are visiting and if you see something you are not familiar with or think could be gang related, call the sheriff’s office at 798-4260.